Family Literacy Glossary

This list of terms and their defintions is provided to clarify any
confusing terms that may be used in the Family Literacy resources. If you come across a
term that you think belongs in this glossary, please send
us an email stating the term and the Family Literacy webpage on which you found it.

book types

Trade Books
Books designed for the general consumer and sold primarily through bookstores
and to libraries ('trade' is in reference to the traditional trade markets
these books are sold in). Though trade books were traditionally hard cover, in
recent years more soft cover trade books have been common. Children's trade books
are trade books designed primarily for children or for adults who read to children.

Mass-Market Books
Books sold predominantly through mass channels that extend beyond traditional
trade outlets, such as book and department stores, to include newsstands, drug
stores, chain stores, and supermarkets. Mass market paperbacks are usually
printed on less expensive paper than trade paperbacks, and their covers are
more likely to attract a mass audience.

Textbooks
Books designed for classroom use rather than general consumption. This category
also includes workbooks, manuals, maps and other items intended for classroom use.
Textbooks usually contain teaching aids, such as summaries and questions that
distinguish them from consumer oriented materials (like trade books).

Book type definitions are courtesy of the website Publishing Central by Wendy J. Woudstra.

M

mass-market books

Books sold predominantly through mass channels that extend beyond traditional
trade outlets, such as book and department stores, to include newsstands, drug
stores, chain stores, and supermarkets. Mass market paperbacks are usually
printed on less expensive paper than trade paperbacks, and their covers are
more likely to attract a mass audience. See the book
types definition for further book type distinctions.

Book type definitions are courtesy of the website Publishing Central by Wendy J. Woudstra.

make shakers

Make shakers from clean plastic drink cartons of various sizes. Fill the containers with
items that will make a nice sound: bird seed, rice, beans, salt, pebbles. Glue the lids
shut when you are finished. Children can hold them by the handles and shake as they step
to the rhythm of music or poetry.

N

natural as opposed to literary language

language that is similar to how we speak as opposed to how
we write. Because of this it is easier to read and predict this kind of text.
See the following examples:

Natural Language

Literary Language

“I saw the truck.”

“Then came a truck.”

“It snowed!”

"Snow had fallen.”

non-fiction

Non-fiction books tell true stories. They are usually in a separate
section in libraries and bookstores. When you and your child are looking for good books,
be sure to look in this section, too. There, you can find many books on topics your child
likes: bugs, cats, fire trucks, and twisters. You will often find poem books, song books,
and folktales in the non-fiction section.

P

parts of speech

Your older toddler will be learning to use these kinds of words, but not
always correctly:

Pronouns—Your child will use these words to refer to people: I, me, he, she, her, him.

Plurals—Your child will add an “s” to talk about more than one of something: trees, doggies.

Past Tense—Your child will talk about things that happened in the past: I went, We ate.

phonemic awareness

This is an important skill that helps children learn to read. Phonemes
are the sounds letters make in words. When children pay attention to the letter sounds
within words, we say they have phonemic awareness. If your child can hear the separate
sounds in words, it will help her learn to read and spell better.

Songs and poems are great ways to learn phonemic awareness. You can
also help by playing with the sounds in words, as you and your child talk together. Try
some of these activities:

Make up silly rhymes with your child-- "hamburger, bamburger, slamburger."

Show your child how to make words longer by adding an ending-- "We
are running, and talking, and laughing. Soon we
will be eating, sleeping, snoring.

Try to say some words backwards-- "Daysun, Daymon, Daytues."

pretend read

Young children like to copy what others do. After you read your
child a story, she may pretend to read it by:

turning pages, pointing to and talking about the pictures

turning pages and saying words that sound like reading

turning pages and retelling the story

turning pages and remembering some of the words from the story.

Most children pretend to read long before they learn to read.
Pretend reading helps them learn about reading.

pretend or scribble writing

Your child might do scribble writing before he begins to write real
letters and words. Scribble writing usually has some of the shapes and lines of real print.
When it does, you know that your child is paying attention to print. That's a good sign!
Here are some examples of scribble writing:

Enjoy your child's scribble writing. It means that your child wants
to write. You don't need to correct it, but you can tell your child when his scribbles
almost look like letters. Say, "These marks look like the letter O. Good for you.
You made O's."

public print/environmental print

This is the print that your child sees all around her, everyday. She
will learn to recognize it, if you point to it and read it to her. Your child can learn
to read:

S

scripts

These are consistent statements that adults say to guide children. Scripts
often teach children about daily routines: what is going to happen, what we will do first,
second, etc. Scripts help children organize their thoughts and their behaviors. Some examples
of scripts are:

“Time to wash your hands. Then we will have lunch.”

“Go get your blanket and storybook, then Mommy will read to you
while you lie down for nap.”

simple pictures

Your child may begin to draw simple pictures using circles and straight lines.
Here are some examples:

social referencing

This is a kind of important, early communication in which babies and toddlers
look at their caregivers to get information. When the baby doesn't know how to react to
something, she looks to her caregiver to tell her. For example, when someone offers a child a
cookie, she looks at her mother for approval before taking it. Or when there is a loud, sudden
sound, the baby looks to a caregiver to see if everything is OK. Babies who do this are more
likely to pay attention to their parents and because they are learning that parents give good
information.

make a sturdy book

Using pictures from around your home, make a sturdy book for your child.
Try topics such as these:

“ __(your child's name)__'s Favorite Things”
cut out pictures from:

toy brochures

catalogs

food boxes

newspaper advertisements

magazines

Print the name of each item in large letters under each picture. When
your child talks about the pictures, you can read her the word, too.

“__(your child's name)_'s Birthday”
use photographs or draw a picture of the party, the cake, friends who came. Glue
in a party napkin, too. On one page, in large letters print the names of each
person who came to the party.

T

trade books

Books designed for the general consumer and sold primarily
through bookstores and to libraries ('trade' is in reference to the
traditional trade markets these books are sold in). Though trade books were
traditionally hard cover, in recent years more soft cover trade books have
been common. Children's trade books are trade books designed primarily for
children or for adults who read to children.
See the book types definition
for further book type distinctions.

Book type definitions are courtesy of the website Publishing Central by Wendy J. Woudstra.